UC-NRLF 


BV  PAUL  CARUS 


THE  NEW  MORN 


THE  NEW  MORN 


ENGLISH  DIPLOMACY  AND  THE  TRIPLE 
ENTENTE 


A    PHANTASMAGORL\    IN    ONE    ACT 


BY 


BARRIE  AMERICANUS  NEUTRALIS 

[PAUL  CARUS] 


THE  MORN  IS  WISER  THAN  THE  EVE. 

— ORIENTAL  PROVERB. 


CHICAGO 
THE  OPEN  COURT  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

1916 


COPYRIGHT  BY 

THE  OPEN  COURT  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

1916 


Sir  James  Matthew  Barrie,  the  famous  author  of  Peter 
Pan,  has  written  a  short  dramatic  poem  in  one  act  entitled 
"Der  Tag"  or  The  Tragic  Man  in  which  he  characterizes  the 
Kaiser  as  a  lover  of  peace,  but  weak  and  under  the  influence 
of  the  Prussian  Camarilla  as  represented  in  his  minister.  The 
emperor,  urged  on  to  war  at  last,  signs  the  fatal  document 
and  ''Der  Tag"  breaks  when  war  becomes  unavoidable. 
However  poetic  Barrie's  little  play  may  be,  it  is  utterly 
false  in  its  premises ;  it  misrepresents  the  Kaiser  and  his 
policy,  and  is  obviously  written  to  exonerate  Great  Britain 
from  responsibility  for  the  war.  The  formation  of  the 
Triple  Entente  was  but  a  preparatory  step  for  a  war  on 
Germany  which  it  was  hoped  could  be  finished  quickly  by 
a  crushing  blow  dealt  suddenly  by  the  French  and  Russians 
without  involving  England  in  the  evils  of  a  war.  We  sub- 
mit herewith  a  poem  describing  the  situation  as  it  appears 
to  the  eyes  of  an  impartial  bystander  and  which  the  author 
hopes  reflects  the  truth  more  accurately  than  Sir  James 
Barrie's  appealing  sketch. 

England  was  beaten  by  Germany  before  the  war  in 
peaceful  enterprise,  and  her  only  hope  to  remain  in  the  lead 
was  through  ruining  her  rival  in  an  unequal  war.  Every- 
thing was  cleverly  devised,  and  yet  Germany  is  not  squashed. 
Germany  has  been  united  in  a  brotherly  alliance  with 
Austria-Hungary,  and  Turkey  has  joined  the  two  as  a  most 
valuable  addition  to  the  territory  of  the  central  powers. 
A  new  morn  is  dawning  in  history,  in  which  on  the  ground 
of  the  most  ancient  civilizations,  a  new  coalition  is  formed 
— a  coalition  that  is  military  in  defense  and  economical  in 
peaceful  trade  and  industry. 

This  new  empire  may  fitly  be  called  Centralia^  on  ac- 
count of  its  central  position  in  the  old  world,  from  which  it 
may  establish  connections  with  the  interior  of  Africa,  with 
India  and  possibly  through  Tibet  with  China.  England 
wanted  to  crush  Germany,  but  instead  it  is  creating  Cen- 
tralia,  and  the  English  blockade,  not  unlike  a  prohibitive 
tariff,  is  most  contributory  to  its  consolidation. 


3C0439 


CHARACTERS 

King  Edward  VII 
British  Premier 
John,  the  King's  valet 
The  Witch  of  Time 
Pages 


In  Vision: 

Kaiser  Wilhelm  II 

Czar  of  Russia 

President  of  France 

Russian  General 

King  George  V 

His  Aide-de-Camp 

Bismarck 

Fieldmarshal  von  Hindenburg 

An  American 

Railroad  Guard 

Officers,  Soldiers,  etc. 


-I 


DIAGRAM  OF  THE  STAGE. 

d     - 


Right 


O 
G 


o 

F 


[  o 

Fort   B 


R.  T. 


Curtain 

King  Edward  VIFs  dressing  room  forms  the  background  of  the 
stage.  On  the  left  side  there  is  the  dressing  table  (dt),  a  large 
mirror  (m)  and  an  armchair  (c),  the  seat  of  the  king.  On  the  right 
side  of  the  background  is  a  door  (d)  and  the  place  where  the  witch 
appears  (IV).  In  the  foreground  the  Germans  take  their  stand  in 
the  center  (G)  ;  the  Russians  (R)  on  the  left  side  of  the  stage,  the 
Belgians  (B),  the  English  (E)  and  the  French  (F)  on  the  right.  The 
track  (RT),  where  first  the  American  automobile  and  then  the  Ger- 
man locomotive  run,  lies  in  the  front  portion  of  the  stage. 


THE  NEW  MORN. 

ENGLISH  DIPLOMACY  AND  THE  TRIPLE  ENTENTE. 

The  King's  dressing  room  in  the  palace.  A  dressing  table  with 
a  large  mirror  on  one  side.  John,  the  King's  valet,  places  the 
several  toilet  utensils,  brushes,  powder-box,  rouge,  nail-clip  and 
file  in  order  on  the  dressing  table,  iirst  using  all  the  articles  on 
himself. 

John.  When  next  these  things  are  used  it  will  be  on 
a  crowned  king,  but  of  course  I  have  used  them 
first  on  myself.  I  am  very  close  to  His  Majesty, 
— I  had  almost  said  ''His  Royal  Highness."  So 
far  my  master  has  been  Prince  of  Wales,  but 
now  he  is  King  of  England,  and  I  must  become 
accustomed  to  saying  ''Your  IMajesty."  Of 
course  I  have  risen  with  him.  Henceforth  I  am 
"Valet  to  His  Majesty  King  Edward  the  Sev- 
enth." It  is  time  he  was  back  from  the  corona- 
tion. I  wonder  how  he  feels.  He  looks  funny 
enough.  What  would  the  old  Anglo-Saxon 
kines  have  said  of  their  latest  successor,  this 
stumpy  follower  of  the  fair  sex !  I  do  not  blame 
him  for  his  follies  for  he  is  king  and  can  do  as 
he  pleases.  I  only  find  fault  with  his  bad  taste. 
However,  that  is  his  business.  It  is  he  that  has 
to  take  all  the  consequences.     After  all,  as  the 


2  THE  NEW  MORN. 

proverb  says,  no  man  is  a  hero  to  his  valet,  and 
I  suppose  that  is  true.  At  least  it  is  true  of  him. 
Here  he  comes  now. 

(John  bows  deeply.  Enter  the  King  with  scepter  and  crown, 
dressed  in  royal  ermine  and  purple,  his  train  carried  by  pages. 
The  pages  kneel,  then  leave  the  room.) 

King.  At  last !  At  last !  I  have  been  waiting  long 
For  this  momentous  day  which  sees  me  crowned. 
John,  come  and  take  the  scepter. 

(John  approaches.) 

Tarry  a  little 
And  leave  these  emblems  but  a  moment  longer 
Within  my  grasp.   They  mean  so  very  much. 
Now  leave  me  with  my  royal  thoughts  alone, 
And  when  I  ring,  come  back  and  help  disrobe 
me. 

(John  bows  and  withdraws.   The  King  poses  before  the  mirror.) 

King.  There,  at  last!  Behold,  King  Edward  the 
Seventh!  I  am  delighted  to  see  myself  in  this 
garb.  I  am  the  seventh  of  my  name.  Seven  is  a 
holy  number,  a  significant  number.  The  Arch- 
bishop said  it  is  a  sacred  number  and  all-com- 
prehensive. It  is  three  plus  four.  'Three" 
means  God  and  "four"  the  world.  So  "seven" 
means  all,  God  and  the  world.  It  means  com- 
pleteness. There  are  seven  wonders  of  the 
world ;  there  are  the  seven  colors  of  the  rainbow ; 
there  are  seven  stars  in  the  Pleiades  constella- 
tion; there  are  the  seven  wise  men;  there  are 
the  seven  ages  of  man;  there  are  seven  days  in 
the  week  and  the  seventh  day  is  blessed  among 


THE  NEW  MORN.  3 

them: — and  finally  there  are  seven  Edwards! 
Yes,  seven  kings  of  England  of  that  name;  and 
I  am  the  seventh. 

I  am  King  of  England.    That  means  I  am  the 
ruler  of  Great  Britain,  and  as  ruler  of  Great 
Britain   I   rule    the  world.      Britannia    indeed 
rules  the  waves;   the   British   empire  extends 
over  every  sea  and  into  every  clime.    It  is  God's 
gift  to  Old  England,  and  that  is  why  this  scepter 
and  this  golden  crown  upon  my  head  mean  so 
much.    They  mean  dominion  over  all  the  world. 
For  every  country  that  is  reached  by  ships 
Pays  tribute  to  the  mistress  of  the  seas, 
And  we  lay  down  the  law  to  other  nations. 
Could  I  but  peer  into  the  distant  future! 
I  fain  would  see  the  destiny  of  England, 
Her  dangers  and  her  triumphs — triumphs  yea! 
For  I  am  sure  we  are  the  chosen  people 
Whom  God  has  blessed  above  the  other  nations 
To  rule  the  world  and  bear  the  white  man's 

burden. 
Dark  powers  of  things  to  come,  reveal  to  me, — 
The  King  of  England, — England's  destiny! 

{The  Witch  of  Time,  a  tall  old  woman, rises  from  the  ground. 
She  is  veiled  in  gray.) 

King.  Mysterious  woman,  let  me  see  thy  face ! 

(Witch  unveils  her  face.) 

Witch.  Thou  callest  me.  King  Edward,  and  I  come 
Out  of  the  depth  of  that  unfathomed  night 
Which  shrouds  the  distant  time.    Hear  thou  my 
words, 


4  THE  NEW  MORN. 

That  thou,  the  seventh  of  thy  name,  completest 
The  day  of  England's  greatness.    Evening  falls, 
The  sun  is  setting  on  a  glorious  reign. 
The  Anglo-Saxons'  queens  are  great,  but  not 
Their  kings,  and  the  Victorian  age  is  past. 
Thou  wouldst  begin  a  new,  more  manly  era. 
But  if  thou  imitatest  not  Prince  Hal 
'T  will  be  no  better,  it  will  surely  lead 
Old  England  down — down  to  her  sure  destruc- 
tion. 

King.  Who  art  thou,  dastardly  old  toothless  woman. 
Hag  of  the  night,  curse  of  a  wayward  fate? 

Witch.  My  name — that  matters  not.  But  heed  thou 
well 
The  warning  which  I  come  to  bring  to  thee. 
God,  the  Omnipotent,  long  suffering. 
The  God  of  history,  has  truly  blessed 
The  land  whose  guidance  with  this  scepter  is 
Entrusted  now  to  thee.     But  do  thy  statesmen 
Use  wisely  and  with  justice  their  great  power? 
Does  England  merit  the  supremacy 
Which  has  been  hers?    God's  patience  long  en- 
dures, 
But  finally  He  calls  all  to  account. 
Art  thou  the  man  to  rectify  past  wrongs 
And  lead  Old  England  on  to  higher  things? 

King.  What  qualities  are  needed  for  the  task? 

Witch.  One,  merely  one  alone,  and  it  is  manhood. 

King.  My  predecessor  was  a  woman. 

Witch.  Yea! 


THE  NEW  MORN.  S 

King.  I  am  a  man! 

Witch.  Not  every  man  has  manhood. 

King.  What  is  thy  meaning,  hag?  Speak  plainly. 

Witch.  Well 

I  mean  by  manhood  simple  honesty. 

King.  If  that  be  all,  I  do  not  fear  the  task 
Of  being  King  and  governing  the  world. 
I  think  that  simple  honesty  is  good, 
Yea,  very  good  if  it  be  used  as  mask 
To  hide  the  cunning  of  our  statecraft's  art. 
What  England  needeth  is  diplomacy. 
The  Hindus  did  not  lack  in  honesty, 
But  honesty  is  good  for  simpletons 
Who  would  be  duped.    The  Irish  patriots 
Possess  enough  of  simple  honesty. 
But  never  have  they  independence  gained. 
The  Chinese  in  their  simple  honesty 
Thought  to  debar  our  opium  from  their  ports. 
The  Boer  insisted  on  his  right  to  block 
The  British  progress ;  but  his  honesty 
Assuredly  was  of  no  use  to  him. 
Oh  no,  my  good  old  witch,  you  are  mistaken; 
On  honesty  Old  England  cannot  prosper ; 
Pure  honesty  is  but  for  lowly  folks. 
We  need  much  more — we  need  diplomacy. 

Witch.  It  takes  a  hero  to  be  truly  honest. 

King.  I  am  no  hero,  but  a  mortal  man 

With  human,  all  too  human,  faults.    But  then 
Fm  keen  of  wit  and  can  accomplish  much 


6  THE  NEW  MORN. 

By  mere  persuasion  and  by  shrewd  designs. 
I  want  to  be  prepared  for  my  great  task 
And  wish  to  see  what  dangers  are  in  store. 

Witch.  Great  Britain  has  no  friends;   she  stands 
alone. 
Protected  by  the  sea  in  isolation, 
She  is  surrounded  by  great  enemies. 
See  here  the  French,  for  centuries  your  foes. 

(In  the  background,  on  the  right  side,  an  arch  appears,  like  the 
Arch  of  Triumph  in  Paris,  with  the  tricolor  flying  above  it. 
Underneath,  in  dress  suit,  covered  with  a  red,  white  and 
blue  scarf,  the  President  of  France,  surrounded  by  French 
officers  in  uniform.    The  President  speaks  to  his  generals.) 

President.  We  hate  John  Bull.  He  is  our  meanest 
foe. 
The  Germans  have  been  bad  enough ;  they  took 
Alsace-Lorraine  when  we,  all  unprepared. 
Still  bore  the  yoke  of  the  third  Bonaparte; 
But  they  at  least  beat  us  in  open  battle, 
While  England  robbed  us  by  diplomacy. 
Messieurs,  remember  Suez  and  Fashoda. 
I.esseps,  a  Frenchman,  a  French  genius, 
Built  that  canal  with  our  own  capital, 
And  now  'tis  England's.    'Twas  our  caravan 
That  first  crossed  Africa  to  far  Fashoda ; 
'Tis  England  now  reaps  all  the  benefit. 
Therefore  beware !    A  snake  lurks  in  the  grass 
Where'er  a  British  diplomat  has  stepped. 
The  Germans  fight  in  fair  and  open  battle; 
The  English  rob  us  by  diplomacy. 

{The  picture  fades  away.) 


THE  NEW  MORN.  7 

Witch.  You  have  worse  enemies  and  more  than 
France. 
Look  at  the  Slav  in  his  barbaric  might! 
All  over  Asia  see  his  agents  swarm. 
He  spins  intrigues  which  will  be  difficult 
For  you  to  rend.    Behold  another  danger — 

(On  the  left  the  background  opens  and  shows  a  typical  Russian 
church  entrance  with  a  Russian  General  in  fur  coat  and 
cap,  with  a  knout  in  hand.  At  his  right  the  Czar  dressed  in 
his  imperial  state;  behind  both,  Russian  soldiers  and  Cos- 
sacks.) 

General.  The  present  age  belongs  to  western  Eu- 
rope, 
To  England  and  to  Germany  and  France; 
but  soon  a  new  and  brighter  morn  shall  break; 
Soon  shall  we  reach  in  our  triumphant  march 
That  ancient  city  of  the  Bosphorus, 
And  thence  to  Suez,  gateway  to  the  East; 
Then  Persia,  helpless,  and  Afghanistan 
Will  fall  before  us ;  and  at  last  our  arms 
Shall  be  supreme  where  now  the  Briton  rules — 
In  India,  the  treasury  of  the  East. 
Let  England  rule  the  waves,  we'll  rule  the  land, 
And  England  will  be  helpless  'gainst  our  armies, 
Uncounted  and  invincible.    Yea,  sire, 
Be  confident.    Our  victory  is  sure. 
Ere  long  all  Asia  shall  be  'neath  our  sway, 
And  then  in  our  victorious  march  we'll  turn 
Upon  our  western  foe,  the  mighty  Teuton. 
France  clamors  for  revenge ;  she'll  be  our  friend. 
Then  shall  the  Teuton,  too,  bow  low  his  knee, 


8  THE  NEW  MORN. 

And  all  the  world  be  ours ;  in  every  land 
Our  faith  shall  spread,  and  holy  Russia  will 
Fulfil  her  destiny  decreed  by  God. 

(The  Russian  group  disappears.) 

King.  All  these  our  enemies?    Have  we  no  friends? 

Witch.  England  has  nowhere  friends  unless  the 
Germans. 
They  are  your  kin.    But  in  these  later  days 
Distrust  has  grown  among  them,  for  they  fear 
The  ill  designs  of  your  diplomacy. 
Germania  grows  apace;  her  sons  aspire 
To  noble  things,  and  greatness  they  achieve, 
And  honor  and  renown  among  all  nations. 
Behold  the  guardian  spirit  of  her  people! 

(Near  the  center  of  the  stage  Bismarck  appears  with  the 
young  Kaiser  William  II.) 

Kaiser.  O  venerable  trusty  counselor 

Of  my  grandfather,  let  me  learn  from  you 
How  I  can  strengthen  Germany's  position 
That  ne'er  again  she  shall  experience 
The  agonies  of  conquest  as  of  yore; 
For  I  would  foster  in  our  Fatherland 
The  sciences  and  arts  and  industries. 
I  shall  be  proud  if  our  posterity 
Will  call  me  once  the  emperor  of  peace. 

Bismarck.    Remember,  Si  vis  pacem  para  helium. 
We  are  surrounded,  sire,  by  enemies. 
And  by  no  other  means  is  peace  preserved 
Than  by  a  constant  readiness  for  war. 


' 


THE  NEW  MORN.  9 

The  French  are  in  alliance  with  the  Russians 
And  we  must  learn  to  fight  the  two  at  once. 
Since  your  grandfather  beat  the  French,  they've 

grown 
In  affluence  and  military  power; 
And  Russia  is  a  giant,  great  and  mighty, 
Yet,  happily,  but  barbarous  and  crude. 
And  lacking  wisdom  and  experience. 

KIaiser.  War  is  a  curse  and    ever  fraught  with 
danger. 
As  long  as  possible  I  will  preserve 
The  benefits  of  peace,  that  so  my  people 
May  prosper  in  all  good  and  useful  arts. 
In  science  and  in  peaceful  enterprise. 
And  should  the  day  of  trial  come,  God  grant 
That  I  be  ready  first  to  draw  the  sword. 
I  will  be  worthy  of  my  ancestors, 
ril  either  wield  my  sword  in  victory 
Or  I  will  die  in  open  field  with  honor. 
We  Germans  fear  but  God,  and^  nothing  else. 

{The  group  near  the  center  disappears.) 

King.  Not  even  Germany  is  our  good  friend. 
She  seems  more  dangerous  than  all  the  rest. 
In  Germany  there  slumbers  native  strength, 
And  if  her  growth  continues  as  of  late 
She  will  be  England's  most  undaunted  rival. 
The  others  are  not  rivals,  they  are  foes. 
Foes  may  be  changed  by  good  diplomacy 
So  as  to  be  of  service,  not  so  rivals; 
Therefore  I  fear  but  Germany  alone. 


lO  THE  NEW  MORN. 

'Tis  true  she  helped  us  in  our  recent  trouble ; 
But  then  she  simply  did  oppose  the  French 
Lest  they  perchance  became  too  strong.     'Tis 

true 
The  Russians  tried  to  take  the  Dardanelles 
That  they  from  thence  might  threaten  the  canal, 
And  that  design,  too,  Bismarck  did  defeat. 
He  favored  us,  but  solely  for  the  reason 
That  Russia  must  not  be  allowed  to  grow. 
But  now  I  have  a  plan ;  and  not  in  vain 
These  phantom  visions  have  appeared  to  me. 
Great  Britain  shall  be  ever,  as  to-day, 
Supreme  and  mistress  of  the  seven  seas. 
Old  witch,  I  bid  thee  gratefully  farewell. 

Witch.  I  warn  thee  once  again  to  act  the  man. 
The  fate  of  England  hangs  on  thy  decision. 

{She  disappears.   The  King  rings  the  hell.    John  enters.) 

King.  Come,  John,  take  these  insignia. 

{He  hands  John  the  scepter.) 

Here,  take  off  the  crown ;  it  presses  rather  hard ; 
and  even  the  robe  is  unwieldy ;  it  makes  me  per- 
spire.   Go  now  and  bid  the  Premier  come  to  me. 

John.  Your  Majesty,  his  Excellency  is  waiting  at 
the  door. 

King.  Let  him  enter  at  once. 

{Exit  John.) 

I  hope  the  new  Premier  is  to  my  heart. 


THE  NEW  MORN.  II 

I  know  at  least  that  he  is  like  a  fox, 
Cunning  and  smart  and  full  of  clever  tricks. 

(John  shows  in  the  Premier,  hows  and  withdraws.) 

Premier.  I  thought  you  might  wish  to  see  me,  your 
Majesty;  therefore  I  came  uncalled. 

King.  Well  considered  and  well  done.  I  want  to 
know  what  you  think  of  the  European  situation. 

Premier.  The  European  situation  is  not  bad.  Still 
I  venture  to  say  that  your  noble  mother  has 
been  overkind  to  Germany,  very  gracious  and 
forbearing.  She  was  so  loving  in  her  parental 
affection.  The  Kaiser  is  her  grandson,  and  a 
grandmother  is  naturally  fond  of  her  grand- 
children. 

King.  Yes,  yes,  I  know,  and  she  was  proud  of  the 
young  man,  but  though  he  is  my  nephew  I  must 
confess  he  does  not  act  with  becoming  modesty. 
His  utterances  on  more  than  one  occasion  have 
been  provocative  and  threatening.  He  prates 
overmuch  of  the  mailed  fist. 

Premier.  Yes,  and  he  persists  in  increasing  his 
navy. 

King.  His  navy? 

Premier.  Indeed,  Your  Majesty.  He  has  almost 
one-third  as  many  ships  now  as  England.  His 
aggressiveness  may  become  intolerable.  I  fear 
that  I  can  say  nothing  better  than  the  ancient 
dictum  in  a  modern  version:  Caeterum  censeo 
Germaniam  esse  delendam. 


12  THE  NEW  MORN. 

King.  Yes.  Germany  must  be  crushed. 

Premier.  We  have  been  too  long-suffering  in  al- 
lowing the  Germans  to  have  a  strong  army,  but 
we  cannot  permit  them  to  bulid  a  navy,  and 
since  they  begin  to  invade  the  sea,  we  must  act. 
The  sea  is  ours  and  we  must  check  the  first 
attempt  they  make  to  take  possession  of  the 
world's  waterways.  We  must  stop  them  before 
it  be  too  late. 

King.  There  is  another  danger.  The  same  warning 
applies  to  the  great  republic  of  the  west. 

Premier.  Indeed  America  worries  me  too,  but  later 
troubles  lesser  worries,  and  over  there  we  have 
more  friends  than  Your  Majesty  imagines.  If  it 
comes  to  the  worst,  Japan  is  our  ally  and  Canada 
extends  over  the  whole  breadth  of  the  continent. 
We  need  not  worry  about  America.  Our  im- 
mediate and  great  danger  is  Germany.  Ger- 
many is  beating  us  in  times  of  peace  by  industrial 
progress.  Consider  the  unparalleled  increase  of 
her  trade,  her  commerce,  her  prosperity!  And 
her  navy  grows  from  year  to  year.  We  need 
strong  alliances  so  that  our  confederates  will 
fight  our  battles,  as  has  been  our  custom  in 
former  wars.  We  must  unite  Russia  and  France. 
Germany  may  overcome  one  of  them  single- 
handed,  but  not  both ;  and  even  then  we  should 
help  by  blockading  the  German  coasts  and  by 
protecting  Russian  transports  to  land  an  invad- 
ing army  in  Pomerania.    But  we  must  start  the 


I 


THE  NEW  MORN.  13 

war  soon.  Peace  is  ruinous  to  England ;  it  spells 
defeat  to  us  by  the  slow  but  steady  advance  of 
German  industry. 

King.  What  can  be  done? 

Premier.  My  plan  is  ready,  sire. 

King.  Speak  out. 

Premier.  France  and  Russia  will  unite  under  all 
circumstances  to  crush  Germany,  and  are  but 
waiting  for  an  opportunity.  Germany  is  as  in 
a  vise  between  the  two;  and  if  we  join  them  to 
ruin  German  trade  and  cut  the  Germans  off 
from  the  rest  of  the  world,  resistance  will  be 
brief.  France  and  Russia  will  be  greatly  en- 
couraged to  venture  into  a  war  against  Germany 
if  we  give  them  the  promise  of  our  support  and 
form  a  Triple  Entente  against  her.  There  is  no 
risk.  And,  Your  Majesty,  if  Germany  were  ex- 
tinguished to-morrow  there  is  not  an  English- 
man in  the  world  who  would  not  be  the  richer 
the  day  after.  Neither  France  nor  Russia  is 
dangerous  to  us,  for  both  are  incapable  of  de- 
veloping a  strong  navy.  We  have  only  one 
thing  to  fear  and  that  is  the  growth  of  Ger- 
many, and  we  must  act  before  it  is  too  late. 

King.  Germania  est  delenda! 

{He  stands  in  thought.) 

But  our  trade  with  Germany  is  not  unimportant. 
Should  we  not  suffer  too  in  case  of  war  ? 


14  THE  NEW  MORN. 

Premier.  We  may  suffer,  but  only  temporarily.  We 
are  the  richest  of  all  nations  in  the  world,  and 
wars  are  decided  by  money. 

King.  Indeed!  And  wars  are  expensive;  even  the 
victor  may  have  his  credit  ruined.  But,  consider, 
the  credit  of  Russia  is  quite  shaky  and  Germany 
is  well  financed. 

Premier.  Yes,  Germany  is  well  financed  but  the 
Germans  are  poor  devils  after  all.  Their  pros- 
perity is  of  yesterday,  and  will  soon  be  spent. 
The  question  is  not  who  can  pay  cash  when  the 
war  begins,  but  who  has  the  last  million  to  in- 
vest. Of  course  it  will  fall  on  us  to  furnish  the 
sinews  of  war,  and  we  can  do  it.  We  have  a 
billion  pounds  annually  from  India,  and  when 
our  resources  are  exhausted  we  can  draw  on 
America. 

King.  (Chuckles)  America!  That  reminds  me  of 
our  dear  cousins !  ha,  ha,  ha ! 

Premier.  We  need  not  worry.  Our  allies  on  the 
continent,  France  and  Russia,  have  both  made 
considerable  progress  in  their  military  institu- 
tions, while  Germany  has  been  stationary.  The 
Germans  have  lost  in  skill  and  efficiency  of  arma- 
ment. In  the  Balkan  war  the  Turks  were  sup- 
ported by  the  Germans  while  the  rebels,  the 
Serbs  with  the  other  Christians,  were  guided 
by  the  French, — and  the  Turks  were  miserably 
beaten.  That  indicates  the  French  are  now 
superior.     The  old  German  generals  of   1870 


THE  NEW  MORN.  I5 

are  dead,  and  the  new  ones  who  have  taken  their 
places  are  prigs.  The  whole  German  army  is  a 
bluff.  The  Russians  have  gained  experience  in 
the  Japanese  war;  they  have  introduced  mar- 
velous reforms  and  can  alone  overcome  the  Ger- 
mans. They  outnumber  the  Germans  easily  by 
two,  or  even  three,  to  one.  The  results  can  be 
foreseen.  The  war  will  be  over  as  soon  as  the 
Russians  and  the  French  meet  in  Berlin. 

{The  King  nods.) 

King.  The  prospect  pleases  me,  but  are  we  quite 
sure  of  all  the  facts  on  which  our  hope  is  based? 

Premier.  Indeed  we  are. 

King.  The  prospect  is  promising.  That  would  ruin 
our  rival  and  establish  British  supremacy. 

Premier.  There  is  one  point  of  importance:  we  must 
support  the  allies  with  our  navy,  otherwise  they 
will  not  venture  into  the  war.  We  may  be  con- 
fident that  the  allies  will  accomplish  the  bulk  of 
the  task  without  us,  for  the  Russians  can  raise 
nine  million  troops  and  the  French  five  or  six. 
Fifteen  million  men  will  be  too  much  even  for 
Germany,  and  we  can  count  also  on  a  rebellion 
of  the  Social  Democrats  in  that  country.  They 
are  a  strong  and  well  organized  party,  almost 
one-third  of  the  whole  people;  they  hate  the 
Kaiser  and  will  do  anything  to  have  him  deposed 
or  exiled  or  slain.  Be  assured,  Germany  cannot 
stand  a  war.     But  we  must  lend  France  and 


l6  THE  NEW  MORN. 

Russia  our  moral  support.     Possibly  they  may 
demand  our  army  too. 

King.  Could  we  send  one  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand men? 

Premier.  No  doubt  we  should  have  to,  and  possibly 
more.  But  of  course  we  will  keep  our  men  in 
the  background.  Our  colonials  are  ready  to  join 
us. 

King.  Yes !  Let  them  go  to  the  front. 

Premier.  The  Canadians,  the  Australians,  the  Hin- 
dus, the  Africans — it  will  make  a  fine  show. 

{The  King  rubs  his  hands,  he  rises  and  walks  up  and  down.) 

King.  Fine!  Fine! 

Premier.  The  time  is  not  yet  ripe,  but  we  must  pre- 
pare and  make  ready  for  war.  The  Triple  Entente 
alone  will  be  sufficient  to  insure  victory,  but  we 
shall  have,  besides,  the  help  of  all  the  smaller 
powers.  Belgium  is  sure  to  join  us,  and  we  may 
hope  to  gain  the  Dutch,  the  Danes,  the  Swedes, 
and  the  Norwegians  too;  if  they  remain  neutral 
they  shall  suffer  for  their  anti-British  attitude 
after  the  war.  Italy  and  Austria  are  now  allied 
with  Germany,  but  we  can  induce  at  least  the 
government  at  Rome  to  stand  by  us,  for  we  could 
ruin  the  long  and  exposed  coast  of  their  pe- 
ninsula. Our  navy  would  bombard  their  cities 
from  Genoa  and  Venice  down  to  Messina  with 
absolute  impunity.     They  are  at  our  mercy,  so 


THE  NEW  MORN.  17 

they  would  at  least  remain  neutral;  and  hence 
Germany  will  stand  alone  with  Austria;  and 
then,  I  know  the  Italians!  (making  a  show  of 
paying  out  money)  that  greases  the  wheels! 

King.  Yes,  that  is  true.  But  let  us  not  be  over- 
confident. It  is  not  likely  that  Holland  and  the 
northern  countries  will  join  us;  they  would  re- 
main neutral.  However,  we  have  created  Bel- 
gium; she  owes  us  her  existence,  therefore  she 
is  our  friend. 

Premier.  Yes,  Belgium  will  open  her  formidable 
fortresses  to  us  and  allow  us  free  passage  for  an 
attack  on  Charlemagne's  ancient  capital,  Aix- 
la-Chapelle.  Krupp's  works  are  near  there  and 
could  be  taken. 

King.  That  is  excellent,  and  England  will  thus  be 
able  to  dispose  of  her  most  dangerous  rival.  I 
myself  may  not  see  the  final  triumph,  but  the 
time  is  surely  coming  and  my  son  will  inherit 
the  fruitage  of  my  work,  the  results  of  my  di- 
plomacy.   We  will  run  no  risk. 

Premier.  We  must  put  an  end  to  Germany's  naval 
power;  we  must  blockade  her  ports.  Then  we 
will  capture  her  trade,  and  check  her  growing 
wealth  and  commerce.  The  French  and  the 
Russians  will  break  her  military  power,  her 
Prussianism  and  her  ambition. 

King.  Is  there  no  way  to  avoid  a  war? 


l8  THE  NEW  MORN. 

Premier.  None,  Your  Majesty!  Germany  has  be- 
gun to  rival  us  in  manufactures,  and  she  threat- 
ens to  surpass  us  in  commerce.  Then  our  su- 
premacy will  be  lost.  This  must  not  be!  We 
face  a  crisis.  The  question  is  whether  we  or 
Germany  are  to  survive. 

King.  Could  not  the  two  nations  peacefully  develop 
side  by  side?    Perhaps  you  exaggerate. 

Premier.  How  can  I  exaggerate?    Here  are  facts. 

(Takes  a  paper  out  of  his  breast  pocket.) 

See  here !  Statistics  do  not  lie.  The  population 
of  Germany  has  multiplied  rapidly  within  six- 
teen years ;  it  has  risen  from  forty-eight  millions 
to  sixty-seven  millions,  which  means  an  annual 
increase  of  over  eleven  per  thousand  in  birthrate. 
It  is  exceeded  only  by  Russia  which  shows  an 
annual  increase  of  seventeen  per  thousand. 

But,  here,  see  the  industrial  statistics. 

The  production  of  pig  iron  estimated  in  thou- 
sands of  tons  has  risen  from  4024  to  17,853, 
that  is  to  say  (with  emphasis)  by  343 .6  percent! 
while  its  production  in  Great  Britain  in  the  same 
time  increased  by  17.6  percent.  Here  are  the 
figures.  Our  iron  trade  rose  from  7681  to  9031 
thousands.    That  means  stagnation! 

King  {amazed).  What  has  become  of  England! 

Premier.  Yes,  Your  Majesty,  the  situation  is  seri- 
ous.   We  are  being  overtaken.    Look  here.    The 


THE  NEW  MORN.  IQ 

production  of  pig  iron  in  America  rose  in  the 
same  time  from  6.520  to  30.203  which  means 
by  363 . 2  percent.  But  America  is  a  new  coun- 
try with  rich  resources  and  unlimited  areas  of 
new  territory. 

King.  These  data  tell  a  frightful  story. 

Premier.  Yes,  England  is  being  hopelessly  out- 
stripped by  Germany.  The  same  results  appear 
all  over.  See  here  the  statistics  of  the  steel  in- 
dustry. Germany  has  advanced  from  the  third 
place  to  the  second,  and  England  is  left  far  be- 
hind. 

Further,  see  here!  The  net  tonnage  of  the 
German  mercantile  fleet  has  almost  trebled 
within  fifteen  years. 

Wherever  you  look,  Germany  pushes  ahead 
with  unprecedented  vigor  and  we  are  losing 
ground.  The  national  wealth  of  the  people  has 
increased  since  William  IFs  ascent  to  the  throne 
by  5000  million  pounds,  and  the  national  income 
amounts  to-day  to  2150  million  pounds  annually 
against  1200  million  pounds  in  1895 ! 

King.  Indeed,  the  figures  prove  your  statements 
true. 

Premier.  But  the  facts  are  worse,  for  Germans  in- 
trude into  the  commerce  of  the  world  and  crowd 
out  all  other  nationalities.  The  Paris  exchange 
is  full  of  Germans,  and  a  great  portion  of  French 
business  is  in  German  hands. 


20  THE  NEW  MORN. 

King.  We  ought  to  instigate  the  French  govern- 
ment to  use  drastic  means  against  foreign  intru- 
sion. 

Premier.  The  French  will  tell  us  that  our  case  is 
worse :  a  great  section  of  the  trade  and  industry 
of  Manchester,  Liverpool,  Birmingham  and  other 
cities  is  in  German  control  and  Germans  occupy 
leading  positions  in  our  big  business  enterprises. 
It  is  an  obvious  case  of  dispossession  of  Enghsh- 
men  in  their  own  country.  We  are  being  an- 
nexed in  times  of  peace,  insidiously,  quietly  and 
without  being  able  to  make  the  slightest  re- 
sistance. 

King.  If  the  Germans  are  the  fittest  to  fill  commer- 
cial positions,  let  us  send  some  of  our  young 
men  to  Germany  to  acquire  German  business 
methods  and  adapt  them  to  the  exigencies  of  our 
needs. 

Premier.  Yes,  Your  Majesty,  even  that  has  been 
tried  and  English  youths  have  returned  from 
Germany  as  Germans — real  German  patriots, 
full  of  love  for  the  fatherland.  I  know  an  Eng- 
lish scholar  who  lived  in  France  and  then  in 
Germany  and  Austria.  No  better  German  could 
be  found,  he  believes  in  the  superiority  of  Ger- 
man Kiiltitr  as  if  he  were  born  in  Germany. 
No,  Your  Majesty,  your  proposition  has  been 
tried.     The  German  spirit  itself  is  the  danger. 

King.  What  shall  we  do?  How  shall  we  protect 
ourselves  against  Germany? 


THE  NEW  MORN.  21 

Premier.  We  must  cripple  her  pretensions  and  dam- 
pen her  inordinate  ambition.  That  can  success- 
fully be  done  by  war  only.  We  have  tried  peace- 
ful methods  in  vain.  Think  of  our  proposition 
to  Hmit  the  building  of  warships.  The  Kaiser 
would  not  accept  our  offer.  He  continues  to 
increase  the  German  navy. 

King.  I  felt  the  seriousness  of  the  German  danger ; 
but  it  is  worse  even  than  I  thought. 

Premier.  War  will  save  us,  and  war  alone.  All 
peaceful  means  are  exhausted.  But  our  chances 
in  war  against  Germany  are  good.  We  must 
engage  her  enemies,  both  Slav  and  Gaul,  and 
between  her  foes  to  east  and  west  her  doom  is 
sure. 

King.    That  settles  it! 

Premier.  Bravo!  you  are  truly  a  king! 

King.  I'll  have  my  ministers  approach  both  France 
and  Russia  and  arrange  an  entente  against  our 
common  enemy.  But  then,  would  you  have  the 
fatherland  of  our  old  Saxons  divided  between 
the  Russians  and  the  Celts? 

Premier.  In  statecraft  we  need  waste  no  sentimen- 
tality. 

King.  Maybe  you  are  right. 

Premier.  Til  give  to  Celt  and  Slav  his  share,  but 
Germany,  though  in  a  crippled  shape,  we  leave 
for  future  conflicts  with  Russia. 


22  THE  NEW  MORN. 

King.  Yea,  sir.  I  know  a  better  way.  Germany 
shall  have  her  freedom.  Old  England  stands 
for  liberty.  German  culture  reached  its  best  and 
highest  development  at  the  time  of  her  deepest 
political  humiliation,  but  it  is  being  ruined  by 
militarism.  When  we  expel  her  tyrants  we  shall 
restore  the  glorious  days  when  she  was  famous 
as  the  country  of  poets  and  thinkers.  Schiller 
and  Beethoven  were  greater  than  Bismarck  and 
Moltke.  We  shall  liberate  the  Germans  from 
the  Hohenzollerns.  We  shall  restore  the  older, 
nobler  and  better  Germany. 

{The  King  rises.) 

Our  task  shall  be  to  liberate  the  Saxons 
And  the  Bavarians  from  the  Prussian  yoke. 
Yea,  all  the  smaller  states  and  Hanover 
Must  be  restored  to  former  independence. 

Premier.  Your  Majesty  is  the  greatest  diplomat 
the  world  has  known.  You  will  mend  the  mis- 
takes that  your  royal  mother,  otherwise  so  noble, 
has  committed.  But  remember  we  must  act  be- 
fore it  is  too  late.  The  Germans  are  warlike. 
They  will  gladly  hail  a  war.  Their  officers  in 
the  army  drink  to  the  day  when  the  struggle 
will  begin;  they  clink  their  glasses  and  shout 
Der  Tag! 

King  {astonished).  What!  To  the  day,  the  Ger- 
mans clink  their  glasses? 
The  day  of  war,  of  bloody,  fierce  decision? 
The  peaceful  Germans? 


THE  NEW  MORN.  23 

Premier.  Yea,  the  peaceful  Germans, 

They  think  it  is  their  right  to  build  a  navy 
And  they  do  feel  that  we  will  check  their  growth. 
The  peaceful  Germans  are  most  warlike  people 
As  soon  as  they  believe  they  suffer  wrong. 

King.  Oh,  you  are  right.  I  fear  the  German  danger, 
But  think  the  day  of  war  might  be  a  night, 
A  setting  of  the  sun  for  either  nation. 

Premier.  Your  Majesty!  a  night  for  Germany, 
Conquest  for  us!  unfailing  victory. 

King.  May  be  't  will  be  for  both  of  us  a  night. 
Well,  let  us  hope  the  best, — the  best  for  England. 

(Premier  bows  low  and  withdraws.) 

King  (musing).     It  is  an  old  tradition  of  Great 
Britain 
To  keep  the  nations  on  the  continent 
In  equal  balance.    But  should  one  be  stronger 
Than  all  the  others,  we  must  break  her  strength ; 
Therefore  we  will  ally  with  France  and  Russia. 
The  strongest  one  is  Germany.    'Gainst  her 
We  must  proceed.  Our  prospects  promise  much, 
ril  have  my  ministers  make  haste  straightway. 
Confer  with  France  and  Russia  as  to  terms 
And  have  the  papers  drawn  up  with  dispatch. 
Would  that  the  powers  of  destiny  vouchsafed 
The  secret  which  the  future  darkly  bears. 
How  will  it  be  with  England  when  Fm  gone? 
I  fain  would  know  the  fruitage  of  my  plans. 

(Background  darkens  and  Witch  reappears.) 


24  THE  NEW  MORN. 

Witch.  King  Edward,  listen  to  my  warning  voice. 
War  will  not  help  you.  War  in  fact  will  hurt 
Your  own  prosperity  and  power  as  much 
As  of  your  enemies.    Old  England  thrives 
In  peace.    Indeed  her  wars  in  recent  times 
Have  worked  her  ill,  and  would  you  add  one 

more, 
A  greater  ill,  to  swell  those  of  the  past  ? 
I  see  naught  but  bad  omens  in  your  plans, 
Your  sly  designs  and  your  diplomacy. 
If  you  would  keep  Great  Britain  in  the  lead, 
Let  England's  sons  her  battles  fight  with  honor 
In  open  field ;  do  not  rely  on  others 
Nor  win  by  gold  or  base  diplomacy. 

King.  'Tis  time  to  act  before  it  be  too  late. 

And  we  must  use  the  greatest  circumspection. 

Witch.  You  fear  that  England  falls  behind  and  that 
The  Germans  grow  in  industry  and  power. 
This  may  be  true.    I  recognize  the  danger. 
And  here  is  the  advice  I  have  to  give : 
Follow  the  German  method!     Introduce 
Reform  all  round,  in  school,  in  church,  in  state. 
Have  Englishmen  progress  and  let  them  learn 
The  cause  of  Germany's  advance.    Thus  only 
Will  England  keep  her  old  supremacy. 

King.  First  must  we  overcome  the  German  danger, 
Then  we  will  use  reform !    We  shall  ally 
The  world  against  the  Kaiser.    Let  me  see 
The  German  Emperor. — Lo !  there  he  rises. 

{The  German  Kaiser  rises  in  the  middle  of  the  stage,  Urst 
alone  in  his  uniform  of  the  guards.) 


THE  NEW  MORN.  25 

I  grant  that  he  is  strong.    He  is  courageous. 
But  how  he'll  wince  with  all  his  foes  against 
him! 

{The  Witch  lifts  her  wand.  On  the  left  rise  the  Russians 
and  on  the  right  the  French,  with  some  English  and  Belgian 
troops.  Among  the  English  is  King  George  V  on  horseback. 
The  Belgians  are  behind  the  walls  of  a  fort.) 

Kaiser  {addressing  King  George  V). 

0  cousin,  what  a  dreadful  game  is  this ! 
Surrounded  as  I  am  by  mighty  foes, 

It  grieves  me  sore  to  see  you  on  their  side. 
What  are  the  terms  of  your  neutrality?  i 

King  Edward  {to  King  George), 

The  Kaiser  is  afraid.  Stand  firm.  Don't  waver. 

King  George  {replying  to  the  Kaiser). 

1  am  in  honor  bound  to  draw  the  sword 
And  stand  by  my  allies. 

King  Edward  {to  King  George), 

Well  done,  my  son ! 

{To  the  Witch.) 

Our  friends  are  strong  and  we  prefer  a  war ! 
Witch.  If  thou  preferest  war,  let  war  prevail. 

{At  this  declaration  all  draw  their  swords  against  the  Kaiser. 
The  latter  raises  his  sword  and  rises  higher  surrounded  by 
German  soldiers  and  cannon  coming  out  of  the  ground.) 

ICaiser.  We  Germans  fear  but  God  and  nothing  else ! 

{At  this  point  the  first  shots  Hash  from  the  German  cannon 
with  loud  report  and  the  Belgian  fortifications  fall.  The  Ger- 
man soldiers  advance  to  the  sound  of  German  war  music 


26  THE  NEW  MORN. 

toward  the  French  and  Russians,  who  fall  back,  and  the 
background  of  the  stage  is  mainly  covered  with  adva/ncing 
Germans.  The  horse  of  King  George  rears  high  and  the 
King  falls  to  the  ground.  At  the  sight  of  this.  King  Edward 
sinks  back  in  his  chair.  King  George's  aide-de-camp  watches 
the  event  with  expressions  of  horror.) 

King  Edward.  What  ill  omen ! 

Witch.  The  war  has  started,  take  the  consequences. 

(Night  covers  the  scene  and  German  national  songs  are  heard. 
When  light  returns  the  Witch  and  King  Edward  with  the 
entire  background  of  the  royal  dressing  room  have  disap- 
peared. The  scene  is  now  covered  with  the  three  groups  of 
soldiers:  the  Germans  with  the  Kaiser  in  the  center,  the 
Russians  on  one  side  and  the  English,  French  and  Belgians 
on  the  other.) 

The  Kaiser  (shading  his  eyes  and  peering  info  the 
distance) .  What's  coming  there  ?  Lend  me  your 
field-glass,  Hindenburg. 

HiNDENBURG.  That  is  a  messenger  from  Mr.  Wil- 
son. 

Kaiser.    From  Woodrow  Wilson  of   the  United 

States? 

Hindenburg.  Indeed,  Your  Majesty,  from  Wood- 
row  Wilson, 
The  President  of  the  United  States. 
He  probably  brings  us  another  note 
On  his  ideas  of  humaneness  and 
Our  use  of  submarines. 

Kaiser.  The  time  will  come 

When  the  Americans  will  use  them  too, 
For  submarines  will  be  the  best  defense 


THE  NEW  MORN.  2/ 

For  their  extended  coast  lines.    Will  they  now 
Cripple    their    own,    their    best    much    needed 
weapon  ? 

(An  automobile  arrives  with  American  envoy,  a  chauffeur  and 
servant.    The  American  envoy  steps  out.) 

American.  Is  this  the  German  Emperor? 

HiNDENBURG.  Indeed. 

American.  Excuse  me,  first  I  have  some  rushing 
business 
With  the  allies.    I  have  some  packages 
Of  ammunition,  shrapnels,  shells  and  bombs. 

{Addressing  the  chauffeur  and  his  servant.) 

Here  boys,  deliver  them,  be  quick  about  it. 

{Turning  to  the  German  group) 

And  here  I  have  a  note  from  Woodrow  Wilson. 

{He  hands  some  paper  to  Hindenburg  who  takes  hold  of  one 
end  and  begins  to  open  it;  in  unrolling  it  becomes  longer 
and  longer.  .One  soldier  helps  to  unroll  it  and  the  strip  of 
paper  extends  over  the  whole  stage.) 

Kaiser.  What  is  that  all  about? 

American.  Your  Majesty,  it  deals  with  principles 
Of  ethics  and  humaneness. 

Kaiser.  Very  well! 

Humaneness  is  the  principle  which  I 
Pursue  in  peace  and  not  the  less  in  war. 
Have  anxiously  preserved  peace  to  the  last, 
But  when  I  saw  my  enemies  were  bent 
On  ruining  the  growth  of  Germany 
I  recognized  my  duty  to  defend 
The  people  whom  I  rule  by  God's  good  grace. 


28  THE  NEW  MORN. 

American.  You  ought  to  understand  that  we  do 
not 
BeHeve  in  what  you  call  by  God's  good  grace. 
We  dislike  military  institutions 
And  above  all,  we  hate  imperialism. 
You  call  it  by  God's  grace.  That  makes  it  worse. 

Kaiser.  My  friend,  our  military  institutions, 
They  have  been  forced  upon  us. 

American.  How  is  that? 

ICaiser.  Yes,  forced  upon  us  by  our  enemies 

Because  they  robbed  and  pillaged  German  lands. 
We  do  not  fight  with  mercenary  soldiers, 
We  go  to  war  ourselves,  we  and  our  sons. 
We  offer  our  own  blood,  we  risk  our  lives 
For  our  dear  fatherland,  our  liberty, 
Our  Union,  and  the  honor  of  our  country. 
We  are  prepared  for  war,  but  peace  we  love. 
The  time  will  come  when  other  nations  too 
Will  imitate  this  German  institution. 
In  England  they  will  have  it  very  soon. 
And  that  will  render  Englishmen  as  peaceful 
As  are  the  Germans  now. 

Yes,  that  alone 
Is  to  bring  peace  on  earth. 

American.  Strange,  very  strange. 

That  thought  is  new  to  me.    Yes,  mercenaries 
Are  cheaper  than  our  sons.     That  makes  men 

peaceful. 
Still  we  object  to  your  imperialism. 


THE  NEW  MORN.  29 

Kaiser.  I  know  that  many  in  America 
Have  wrong  ideas  of  the  Fatherland. 
To  them  the  Kaiser  is  a  brutal  tyrant, 
They  think  his  office  means  imperialism. 
And  if  he  claims  to  be  installed  by  God 
They  deem  it  vain  pretension  and  perhaps 
Religious  superstition.     How  mistaken 
Are  ye !  Let  me  inform  you  then :  "God's  grace" 
To  Germans  means  that  I  was  born  a  Kaiser. 
A  Kaiser  owes  his  office  to  the  law 
And  to  the  constitution  of  our  country. 
But  it  means  more.     I  am  responsible 
And  feel  responsible  to  God  alone. 
My  right  to  rule  is  not  a  privilege, 
And  not  a  sinecure.    It  is  a  duty. 
Yea  t'is  a  sacred  duty ;  my  good  people 
Are  looking  up  to  me  as  to  the  one 
Who  is  by  God  and  through  our  laws  entrusted 
With  the  protection  of  their  liberties. 
One  of  my  ancestors,  whom  history 
Calls  Frederick  the  Great,  described  his  office 
As  being  the  first  servant  of  the  state. 
An  emperor  with  us  serves  not  the  times 
Nor  does  he  seek  applause  for  reelection. 
God  is  his  judge,  the  God  of  history. 
The  God  of  justice.    We  expect  a  king 
To  do  his  duty  and  obey  his  conscience. 
That  is  the  meaning  if  in  Germany 
Our  kings  and  kaisers  wear  the  royal  crown, 
And  claim  to  wear  it  by  the  grace  of  God. 


30  THE  NEW  MORN. 

American.  I  never  saw  the  question  in  that  light, 
And  I  confess  your  words  will  make  us  pause. 
Should  we  not  wish  that  all  our  presidents 
Were  such  by  grace  of  God  ?  Some  of  them  were, 
I  claim!    Yes,  Washington  and  Lincoln  too. 

0  how  I  wish  that  all  had  been  and  would  be. 
But  now  our  presidents  express  resentment, 
Because  they  cannot  rule  and  are  restricted 
By  Congress.    But  we  will  oppose  oppression 
And  we  insist  on  freedom  everywhere. 

Kaiser.  I  hope  that  Germany  is  not  oppressed. 
What  I  can  do  assuredly  will  make 
My  people  free — the  freest  in  the  world. 
Freedom  is  not  insured  by  constitutions. 
Freedom  depends  upon  the  citizens. 
And  it  may  be  that  in  a  Kaiserdom 
They  may  be  freer  than  in  democracies. 

1  grant  I  am  the  first  among  my  people, 

The  first  but  not  their  master,  not  their  owner, 

Am  primus  inter  pares,  all  are  free, 

And  I  am  one  of  them,  their  elder  brother. 

I  am  the  father  of  the  fatherland. 

My  daily  prayer  and  my  most  high  ambition 

Is  to  be  worthy  of  my  noble  office. 

American.  If  your  conception  of  your  office  is 
So  high  as  now  expressed,  how  can  you  sink 
The  Lusitania,  use  the  submarines 
And  wage  so  barbarous  a  brutal  war? 

Kaiser.  How  can  we  wage  a  war  which  is  not  bru- 
tal? 


THE  NEW  MORN.  3  1 

HiNDENBURG   (sarcastically).     Your  Majesty,  he 

wants  you  not  to  use 
Torpedoes  nor  big  Berthas,  but  to  shoot 
Soft  suger-plums  from  pop-guns.     That  would 

make 
All  war  humane. 

Kaiser.  Indeed  it  would,  indeed; 

And  if  the  enemy  would  but  begin, 
I  certainly  would  gladly  follow  suit. 
I  see  you  bring  some  loads  of  ammunition 
And  here  they  are  unloaded  for  the  use 
Of  the  Allies,  my  enemies.    Tell  me, 
Are  then  the  shells  you  manufacture 
The  new  humane  kind  of  superior  type? 

American.  They  are  the  old  type,  why  of  course 
they  are, 
For  they  are  made  according  to  strict  orders. 

Kaiser.  So  long  as  you  continue  thus  to  furnish 
My  enemies  with  the  old-fashioned  style 
Do  not  expect  of  me  to  wage  the  war 
As  if  it  were  mere  sport.    And  now,  dear  sir, 
Now  kindly  give  us  room  for  the  attack. 
You  think  you  have  a  right  to  travel  everywhere, 
But  we  are  in  sore  need  to  wage  our  war. 
Remove  your  boxes  filled  with  ammunition 
And  other  stuff  of  cant  and  human  kindness. 
I  do  not  care  for  Woodrow  Wilson's  notes 
Whose  honey-tongued  humaneness  has  two  sides. 
We  have  to  do  our  duty  without  fear 
And  our  most  urgent  duty  is  to  save 


\ 


32  THE  NEW  MORN. 

Our  country;  win  the  victory  and  then 
We  leave  all  other  things  to  Providence. 

American.  You  are  sarcastic,  sir,  and  so  it  seems 
That  we  have  not  successfully  convinced  you 
Of  the  necessity  of  waging  war 
Humanely  like  an  English  gentleman. 

Kaiser.  Have  I  invented  war?    Have  I  begun  it? 
I  wage  the  war  that  has  been  forced  upon  me, 
In  war  have  I  but  one  sole  aim  in  view, 
That  is  to  win  the  victory.     But  when 
My  enemy  is  down  and  in  my  power. 
He  is  no  longer  treated  as  a  foe; 
He  then  becomes  my  friend,  my  protege. 
Humaneness  is  an  admirable  virtue. 
But  if  you  preach  humaneness,  let  your  speech 
Go  out  to  those  of  your  own  countrymen 
Who  manufacture  ammunition.     Or 
Do  address  your  unctions  words  unto 
The  gallant  captain  of  the  Baralong 
And  his  courageous  crew  who  in  cold  blood 
Have  murdered  helpless  men — after  surrender. 

American.  Consider,  sir,  that  English  sailors  are 
Justly  embittered  'gainst  the  submarines. 

Kaiser.  May  be !  Our  submarines  are  quite  efficient 
And  dangerous, — good  reason  to  be  hated! 
But  that  does  not  excuse  bloodthirsty  murder. 

American.  Sailors  are  brutal  in  the  wrath  of  battle; 
But  ordinarily  the  English  are 
All  gentlemen.     It  is  their  nature,  Sir; 
'Tis  born  in  them  and  they  are  proud  of  it. 


THE  NEW  MORN. 


33 


HiNDENBURG.  That  may  well  be,  but  some  of  them 
combine 
The  polished  manners  of  a  gentleman 
With  criminality.    For  instance  take 
Findlay,  the  British  minister  to  Norway, 
A  perfect  gentleman  who  tried  to  lure 
By  treachery  an  Irish  patriot 
Into  a  trap — perhaps  to  be  imprisoned 
For  life;  perhaps,  if  unavoidable, 
To  be  assassinated.     Further  think 
Of  Captain  Guy  Gaunt  bribing  an  office  boy. 
And  like  a  sneak-thief  pilfering  the  mails ; 
The  British  secret  service  does  not  shrink 
From  forgery  and  foulest  low-bred  crime. 
Such  are  the  deeds  of  English  gentlemen. 

American.  It  takes  a  thief  to  catch  a  thief. 

HiNDENBURG.  Thesc  stories 

Are  worse  than  you  imagine.    Treachery 
They  are,  foul  treachery,  and  despicable. 
They  are  unworthy  of  an  honest  man. 
They  can  be  done  by  liars  only,  and 
The  British  government  did  guarantee 
A  snug  reward  besides  impunity 
For  common  murder !    Yea,  such  is  humaneness 
Practised  officially  in  England,  practised 
By  English  diplomats;  by  gentlemen, 
And  Findlay's  trick  would  surely  have  succeeded 
Had  not  the  commoner  of  Norway  been 
Too  honest  for  the  British  diplomat. 
He  was  a  lowly  servant,  a  valet; 


34  THE  NEW  MORN. 

He  was  no  gentleman,  he  was  a  man — 

I  honor  him.    Truly  he  was  a  man, 

Not  for  a  fortune  would  he  have  betrayed 

His  master,  though  impunity  was  promised. 

Impunity  is  easier  to  bestow 

Then  a  clear  conscience.    Yea  he  was  a  man, 

I  range  a  man  above  a  gentleman. 

American.  The  story  of  Sir  Roger  Casement  is 
Perhaps  not  true.    An  Irish  patriot. 
You  say,  he  is :  that  means,  an  English  traitor. 

Hindenburg.  That  may  be  granted  without  contra- 
diction. 
For  Irish  people  never  learned  to  love 
The  English  or  the  English  government. 
Yet  there's  another  point  to  which 
I  must  object.    The  question  raised  is  this: 
Has  any  government  the  privilege 
Unscrupulously  to  commit  foul  crime, 
As  freely  and  unhesitatingly 
As  do  the  common  criminals?    The  English 
Use  as  their  most  effective  weapon  lies 
Misrepresenting  Germany's  good  cause, 
Yet  claim  to  be  a  Christian  nation. 

American.  Yes 

They  are  good  Christians,  Christian  gentlemen. 

Hindenburg.  O  yes,  they  are  in  words,  but  not  in 
deeds. 
It  is  an  old  experience  that  people 
Who  always  talk  of  virtue  and  humaneness 
Have  naught  of  either  in  their  hearts.    And  thus 


THE  NEW  MORN.  35 

Their  piety  is  sheer  hypocrisy. 

Now  give  us  room  for  battle.    Don't  expect 

That  we  can  fight  if  you  are  in  the  way. 

{The  American  messenger  returns  into  his  automobile  and 
retires  behind  the  stage.  Both  sides,  the  Germans  and  the 
Allies,  resume  a  threatening  attitude.  At  this  moment  from 
the  right  side  of  the  stage  a  big  engine  rolls  in,  puffing  heavily. 
When  the  engine  reaches  the  crowds  of  soldiers  a  railroad 
guard  jumps  off  and,  ringing  a  bell,  heralds  the  train  which 
proceeds  to  the  center  of  the  stage.) 

Guard.  First  Oriental  Express! 
Berlin,  Vienna,  Constantinople! 

Kaiser.  I  believe  that's  my  train.     Conductor, 
How  are  further  connections  south? 

Guard.  Connections  with  India  and  with  Egypt  in 
preparation ! 

Kaiser.  That's  what  I  want.  Come  on  boys!  All 
aboard !  (German  soldiers  step  up  on  both  sides.) 
The  war  assumes  new  prospects.  (Turns  to  the 
English.)  As  for  you,  gentlemen,  ye  thought 
evil  against  me,  but  God  meant  it  unto  good. 

May  God  deal  with  you  after  your  desert. 
Good-by!  I  have  no  time  to  linger  here; 
Great  is  the  task  before  us.    We  will  build 
An  empire  that  will  reach  through  all  the  climes 
From  Baltic  shores  to  the  equator  southward. 
Let  us  part  company,  my  British  friends; 
We  shall  no  longer  need  your  trade,  for  here 
With  our  ally  the  Turk  we  shall  develop 
In  fair  cooperation  new  domains 
Of  a  commercial  union.     Babylon 


36  THE  NEW  MORN. 

And  ancient  Egypt  too  may  be  restored 

To  former  glory  and  prosperity. 

We'll  do  our  best  to  make  this  awful  war 

The  promising  beginning  of  new  eras 

In  history,  of  eras  that  will  open 

The  rich  resources  of  Oriental  wealth. 

The  struggle  may  be  hard ;  the  dreary  night 

Which  you  endeavor  to  bring  down  on  us 

May  long  endure,  but  on  our  part  we're  willing 

To  fight  courageously  and  to  defend 

Our  fatherland,  our  freedom  and  our  cause. 

We  offer  for  our  country  all  we  have 

And  all  we  are.    If  need  be  we'll  lay  down 

Our  lives  in  sacrifice  for  our  ideals 

Nor  shall  it  be  for  nought.     Lo!  I  can  see 

The  dawn  approach  in  gorgeous  red  of  morning. 

Yea,  I  am  sure  of  final  victory. 

The  God  of  history  will  stand  by  us; 

He  guards  the  people  who  advance  mankind 

By  leading  on  to  higher  planes.    I  greet 

The  first  bright  rays  of  the  young  rising  sun, 

Which  ushers  The  New  Morn  upon  the  world. 

Our  envious  foes  have  lit  the  fire  of  war 

And  they  are  trying  to  destroy  our  nation. 

But  we'll  stand  firm  and  God  their  schemes  will 

mar. 
From  the  ordeal  of  this  conflagration. 
Greater  Germania  phoenixlike  shall  rise 
And  Victory  to  her  award  the  prize. 

(German  war  music. — Curtain.) 


I 


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